Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $1.38 Million Stake in Applied Materials, Inc. $AMAT

Key Points

• Freedom Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. by 18.9%, owning 9,521 shares worth approximately $1.38 million after selling 2,212 shares in the first quarter.
• Applied Materials reported a quarterly EPS of $2.48, beating estimates, and forecasted Q4 2025 EPS guidance between 1.910 and 2.310.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 80.56% of Applied Materials stock, with notable investments made by several firms in the first quarter, including a 972.2% increase from Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc.

Freedom Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT - Free Report) by 18.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,521 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock after selling 2,212 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Applied Materials were worth $1,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 972.2% during the 1st quarter. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 193 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 435.0% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 214 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Mascagni Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Applied Materials during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, Disciplina Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Applied Materials by 91.5% during the 1st quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 272 shares of the manufacturing equipment provider's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. 80.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Materials Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AMAT opened at $162.49 on Monday. Applied Materials, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.74 and a fifty-two week high of $215.70. The stock has a market cap of $129.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 1.76 and a current ratio of 2.50. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $183.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.90.

Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The manufacturing equipment provider reported $2.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.12. Applied Materials had a net margin of 23.88% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Materials has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.910-2.310 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Applied Materials, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Materials Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 21st will be paid a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 21st. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Applied Materials's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AMAT. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Applied Materials from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price objective on shares of Applied Materials from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Applied Materials from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Applied Materials in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Applied Materials news, CAO Adam Sanders sold 562 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.60, for a total value of $100,373.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 5,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,580. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

Applied Materials Company Profile

Applied Materials, Inc engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries. The company operates through three segments: Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. The Semiconductor Systems segment develops, manufactures, and sells various manufacturing equipment that is used to fabricate semiconductor chips or integrated circuits.

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